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Practice Reading Test 1

ANSWERS WITH SUGGESTIONS

DO NOT VIEW UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE TEST

Passage 1, Lab 1: Answers and Suggestions

Question Answer Scott's Tips for Answering the Question

Note: for questions 1-7, start FIRST by reading the passage and noting the main ideas of each paragraph and SECOND look for a match between your ideas and the possible answers given

(in the box)

These types of questions can take extra time so allow for this in the test!

1 ix ® read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

have a lot of information written about them)

* read the words in the question (in the box) and find a match with your main ideas

® notice paragraph A talks about ‘mercury drops to -7 degrees, '—

these things relate to climate (remember, sometimes a synonym of the key word(s) will be used) and " intensely sweet ", "savours of peach and apricot" — which relate to taste

® once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in depth

to confirm your choice

2 viii ® read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

* read the words in the question (in the box) and find a match with

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* scan the passage to locate the key words

* notice paragraph B talks about " a disease known as dry rot" and,

"_ benign disease" also mentioned is "The world's great wines are made from grapes with this benign disease"

* again, read in depth to confirm your choice

3 ii ® read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

* notice paragraph C mentions that " the subzero cold spell must last several days to ensure the berries remain frozen solid during

picking " and, "If the ice melts during a sudden thaw, the sugar in each berry is diluted"

* again, read in depth to confirm your choice

4 x ® read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

* notice paragraph D mentions " _predators (such) as grey rot, powdery mildew, unseasonable warmth, wind " and "A strong wind

or an ice storm could easily knock the fruit to the ground" also,

" harvesting ice wine (is an) uncomfortable business" all these are obstacles and can affect production

« read in depth to confirm your choice

5 11 * read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

* notice paragraph E states, "Once the tractor delivers the boxes to the winery" — thus this is the early part of the ice wine production

Notice also, "The presses have to be worked slowly otherwise the bunches will yield nothing" — this is obviously a challenge for the wine makers ]

6 vi ® read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

* notice paragraph F mentions " grapes are harvested The oily juice once extracted is allowed to settle it is then clarified a special yeast

is added " all these things show the process from the harvesting of the grape to the production of the ice wine

7 i * read each paragraph and note the main ideas (main ideas usually

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* notice paragraph G talks about 'medals at international wine competitions! — these things relate to awards (remember, sometimes a synonym of the key word(s) will be used)

® once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in depth

to confirm your choice

8 B * scan the text looking for ways nature attacks the grapes

« Paragraph D lists many ways that nature attacks the grapes

« Various ways nature attacks (" birds, mildew and rot a sudden storm") are mentioned

9 C ¢ scan the text looking for the key words 'rice husks'

« Answer is located in paragraph E

* rice husks are used to " pierce the skins (so the) juice flow(s)

10 A « Scan for the surname Reif once located, read in depth for his view

on Canadian icewine

« Answer is located in Paragraph G

«® The juice from grapes in Canada " comes out like honey "

whereas in Germany " it drops like ordinary wine." The wine comes out like honey refers to how it flows

« "They were amazed by the abnormally high concentration of sugar "

« "\ great dessert wines are made from grapes afflicted by this disease"

« "pickers fortified with tea and brandy "

® ‘fortified! is a difficult word but, reading it carefully in context we can work out that it has something to do with using (drinking) to keep warm

« " winemakers cannot produce (wine) every year (but) Canadian winemakers can "

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key words are heavy storm and landslide read in detail to find out about these terms locate the words, “ in two common ways: landslides or after storm surges ”

key words are Cuba and Haiti scan for them read in detail to find out if there have been many floating islands locate the words, “ sighting of floating islands is rare unscheduled, short-lived and usually undocumented”

18 NG There is nothing in the passage about this!

* key words are scientists and local residents

* read in detail to “Accounts of how the floating islands were formed have been given by local residents These accounts have not been disputed in scientific literature.”

* once located, read carefully what is written before and after

* locate the words “ comparatively low wind mobilise(s) free-floating islands with vegetation two meters tall”

* locate the words “ floating islands are analogous to floating mobile ice chunks ”

¢ along description of the floating island in Cuban waters begins with the words “McWhirter described the island ”

* locate the words “ from lakes (Hesser 1983) ” Unlike a river or the open sea, a lake is a confined body of water so we conclude Hesser made the statement

* locate the section of the reading passage which deals with the Pirron Yallock Islands

* notice that the 5 paragraph states, “This causeway restricted flow between the depression and its former southern arm.”

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* notice that the 6 paragraph states, “The main island then broke up into several smaller islands which range in size from 2 to 30 meters in diameter.”

* the section of the diagram is clearly positioned over the largest island

so it must be the maximum size mentioned — 30 meters

* notice that the 6 paragraph states, “The main island then broke up drift(ing) slowly for up to 200 meters within the confines of the lake.”

* the section of the diagram clearly relates to the total length of the lake and the maximum distance given is 200 meters so this is the answer

* notice that the 6 paragraph states, “Peat had been isolated by the fire (and) broke away from the rocky, basalt floor.”

* the section of the diagram is clearly pointing to the floor or base of the lake therefore, it must be the basalt floor

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« the key words in this question are "impact, higher temperatures"

« skim the passage looking for those key words and/or their synonyms

« the answer is in the middle part of paragraph A

31 F « Read the information in the questions carefully and determine the

key words

* the key words in this question are "naming icebergs"

« skim the passage looking for those key words and/or their synonyms

* the answer is paragraph F

33 wind(s) * Read the questions carefully selecting key words

«® The key words are "iron, transported to ocean"

« Scan the passage for those key words and locate the area that addresses the gist of the passage

« Paragraph B makes mention of " powerful winds that sweep iron-containing dust across the oceans "

* Make sure you use the word(s) directly from the passage

34 phytoplankton | *« Read the questions carefully selecting key words

(productivity) | « The key words are "increase in greenhouse gasses, decrease in."

« Scan the passage for those key words and locate the area that addresses the gist of the passage

« Paragraph D states that, "The loss of plankton productivity in the oceans also means the loss of an important factor in removing much of the principal greenhouse gas that has been a primary cause of the world's climate to warm for the past century or more."

35 base * Read the questions carefully selecting key words

¢ The key words are "phytoplankton, food web."

* scan the passage for those key words and locate the area that

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36 calved * Read the questions carefully selecting key words

« the key words are "piece, detatched ice, main block"

* scan the passage for those key words and locate the area that addresses the gist of the passage

* paragraph G states "Huge as it is, the C-19 iceberg is only the second-largest recorded in the Ross Sea region An even larger one, dubbed B-15, broke off, or ‘calved' in 2001."

You might be able to guess the missmg words from the context, but make sure you confirm

your guess with a word(s) from the passage

Before you begin answering, read the summary through at least once

37 satellites and | * Identify the key words in the summary sentences

ships ® Inthe first sentence "decline, plant life and validated” are the key

words

« Scan the paragraphs A-C for the key words or synonyms of those key words

* Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph

A it states that the diminishing (or declining) productivity of microscopic plants is being confirmed (validated) by satellites and ships

38 phytoplankton | ® Identify the key words in the summary sentences

® Inthe third sentence " rise in ocean temperatures, 1980s, 1990s "

are the key words

« Scan paragraphs A-C for the key words or synonyms of those key words

A it states that " the greatest loss of phytoplankton has occurred where ocean temperatures have risen most significantly between the early 1980s and the late 1990s."

39 iron * Identify the key words in the summary sentences

® Inthe fourth sentence "higher temperatures, deficiencies, decline in plankton” are the key words

« Scan the paragraphs A-C for the key words or synonyms of those key words

B it states, " winds sweep iron-containing dust across the oceans from continental deserts When those winds diminish or fail, plankton can

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® In the fifth sentence "impacts upon, world's” are the key words

« Scan the paragraphs A-C for the key words or synonyms of those key words and the relationship with the previous sentence in the summary

C it states, "The significant decline in plankton productivity has a direct effect on the world's carbon cycle."

www.scottsenglish.com

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http://www.scottsenglish.com/

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READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on Reading Passage 1

Questions Ï — 7

Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A-G

From the list of headings below, choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph

Write the appropriate numbers i-x in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet

iv A delicious taste

v Picking the grapes, the only easy step

vi From grape to wine vil The juice flows quickly vill Disease brings benefits

ix The role of climate in taste

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The Grapes of Winter

If an artist must suffer to create great art, so does the wine-maker when it comes to

producing icewine

A Icewine, or Kiswein as the Germans call it, is the product of frozen grapes A small portion of the

vineyard is left unpicked during the fall harvest’ those grapes are left on the vine until the mercury drops to at least -7°C At this temperature, the sugar-rich juice begins to freeze If the grapes are picked in their frozen state and pressed while they are as hard as marbles, the small amount of juice recovered is intensely sweet and high in acidity The amber dessert wine made from this juice is an ambrosia fit for Dionysus himself — very sweet, it combines savours of peach and apricot

in the German duchy of Franconia made virtue of necessity by pressing juice from frozen grapes They were amazed by an abnormally high concentration of sugars and acids which until then had been

achieved only by drying the grapes on straw mats before pressing or by the effects of Botrytis cinerea, a disease known as ‘root rot’ Botrytis cinerea afflicts grapes in autumn, usually in regions where there

is early morning fog and humid, sunny afternoons A mushroom-like fungus attaches itself to the berries, puncturing their skins and allowing the juice to evaporate The world’s great dessert wines, such as Sauternes, Riesling and Tokay Aszy Essencia, are made from grapes afflicted by this benign disease

It was not until the mid-19"" century in the Rheingau region of northwestern Germany that winegrowers made conscious efforts to produce icewine on a regular basis But they found they could not make it every year since the subzero cold spell must last several days to ensure that the berries remain frozen solid during picking and the pressing process, which alone can take up to three days or longer Grapes are 80 percent water; when this water is frozen and driven off under pressure and shards of ice, the resulting juice is wonderfully sweet If the ice melts during a sudden thaw, the sugar

in each berry is diluted

harvest the grapes Not all grapes are suitable for icewine Only the thick-skinned, late-maturing varieties such as Riesling and Vidal can resist such predators as grey rot, powdery mildew,

unseasonable warmth, wind, rain and the variety of fauna craving a sweet meal Leaving grapes on the vine once they have ripened is an enormous gamble If birds and animals don’t get them, mildew and rot or a sudden storm might So growers reserve only a small portion of their Vidal or Riesling grapes for icewine, a couple of hectares of views at most A vineyard left for icewine is a sorry sight The mesh-covered vines are denuded of leaves and the grapes are brown and shrivelled, dangling like tiny bats from the frozen canes The stems of the grape clusters are dry and brittle A strong wind or an ice storm could easily knock the fruit to the ground A twist of the wrist is all that is needed to pick the grapes But wine the wind howls through the vineyard, driving the snow before it and the wind chill

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factor can make a temperature of -10° seem like -40°, harvesting icewine grapes becomes a decidedly uncomfortable business Pickers fortified with tea and brandy, brave the elements for two hours at a time before rushing back to the winery to warm up

E Once the tractor delivers the precious boxes of grapes to the winery, the really hard work begins Since

the berries must remain frozen, the pressing is done either outdoors or inside the winery with the doors left open The presses have to be worked slowly otherwise the bunches will turn to a solid block of ice yielding nothing Some producers throw rice husks into the press to pierce the skins of the grapes and create channels for the juice to flow through the mass of ice Sometimes it takes two or three hours before the first drop of Juice appears

The juice from a kilogram of icewine grapes produces one-fifth of that amount or less depending on the degree of dehydration caused by wind and winter sunshine The longer the grapes hang on the vine, the less juice there is So grapes harvested during a cold snap in December will yield more icewine than if they are picked in February The oily juice, once extracted from the marble-hard berries, is allowed to settle for three or four days It is then clarified of dust and debris by racking from one tank to another

A special yeast is added to activate fermentation in the stainless steel tanks since the colourless liquid is too cold to ferment on its own Because of the high sugars, the fermentation is slow and can take

months But when the wine 1s finally bottled, it has the capacity to age for a decade or more

year Canadian winemakers can and are slowly becoming known for this expensive rarity as the home-grown product garners medals at international wine competitions Klaus Reif of the Reif Winery

at Niagara-on-the-Lake has produced icewine in both countries While studying oenology, the science

of winemaking, he worked at a government winery in Neustadt in the West German state of Rheinland-Pfalz In 1983 he made his first Canadian icewine from Riesling grapes Four years later he made ice-wine from Vidal grapes grown in his uncle’s vineyard at Niagara-on-the-Lake “The juice comes out like honey here” says Reif, “in Germany it drops like ordinary wine”

Ị Dionysus = the Roman ‘god’ of wine

* ferment = the breakdown of sugar into alcohol in winemaking

Adapted from “Grapes of Winter” by Tony Aspler, Canadian Geographic

Questions 8-10

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D

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Write your answers in boxes 8-10 on your answer sheet

Questions 11 — 14

Complete each of the following statements (questions 11-14) with the best ending A-G from the box below

Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 11-14 on your answer sheet

11 Franconia icewine makers

12 Famous dessert winemakers

13 Icewine grape pickers in Germany

14 Canadian icewine makers

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The capacity of the living part of a floating island to maintain its equilibrium in the face of destructive forces, such as fire, wave attack or hogging and sagging while riding sea or swell waves is a major obstacle In general, ocean-going floating islands are most likely to be

short-lived; wave wash-over gradually eliminates enough of the island’s store of fresh water to deplete soil air and kill vegetation around the edges which, in turn, causes erosion and diminishes buoyancy and horizontal mobility

The forces acting on a floating island determine the speed and direction of movement and are very similar to those acting on floating mobile ice chunks during the partially open-water season

(Peterson 1965) In contrast to such ice rafts, many floating islands carry vegetation, perhaps including trees which act as sails Burns et al examined the forces acting and concluded that comparatively low wind velocities are required to mobilise free-floating islands with vegetation standing two meters or more tall

The sighting of floating islands at sea is a rare event; such a thing is unscheduled, short-lived and usually undocumented On July 4th, 1969, an island some 15 meters in diameter with 10-15 trees 10-12 meters tall was included in the daily notice to mariners as posing a shipping navigation hazard between Cuba and Haiti McWhirter described the island as looking “ as though it were held together by a mangrove-type matting; there was some earth on it but it looked kind of bushy around the bottom, like there was dead foliage, grass-like material or something on the island itself The trees were coming up out of that It looked like the trees came right out of the surface brown layer No roots were visible” By the 14th of July the island had apparently broken up and the parts had partially submerged so that only the upper tree trunks were above the water By July

19th, no trace of the island was found after an intensive six hour search

Another example albeit freshwater, can be found in Victoria, Australia - the floating islands of

Pirron Yallock Accounts of how the floating islands were formed have been given by local residents These accounts have not been disputed in the scientific literature Prior to 1938, the lake was an intermittent swamp which usually dried out in summer A drainage channel had been excavated at the lowest point of the swamp at the northern part of its perimeter This is likely to have encouraged the development or enlargement of a peat mat on the floor of the depression

Potatoes were grown in the centre of the depression where the peat rose to a slight mound The

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peat was ignited by a fire in 1938 which burned from the dry edges towards a central damp section A track was laid through the swamp last century and pavement work was carried out in 1929/30 This causeway restricted flow between the depression and its former southern arm

These roadworks, plus collapse and partial infilling of the northern drainage channel, created drainage conditions conducive to a transition from swamp to permanent lake

The transformation from swamp to lake was dramatic, occurring over the winter of 1952 when rainfall of around 250mm was well above average Peat is very buoyant and the central raised section which had been isolated by the fire, broke away from the rocky, basalt floor as the water level rose in winter The main island then broke up into several smaller islands which drifted slowly for up to 200 meters within the confines of the lake and ranged in size from 2 to 30 meters

in diameter The years immediately following experienced average or above average rainfall and the water level was maintained Re-alignment of the highway in 1963 completely blocked the former southern outlet of the depression, further enhancing its ability to retain water The road surface also provided an additional source of runoff to the depression

Anecdotal evidence indicates that the islands floated uninterrupted for 30 years following their formation They generally moved between the NW and NE sides of the lake in response to the prevailing winds In 1980, the Rural Water Commission issued a nearby motel a domestic licence

to remove water from the lake and occasionally water is taken for the purpose of firefighting The most significant amount taken for firefighting was during severe fires in February 1983 Since

then, the Pirron Yallock islands have ceased to float, and this is thought to be related to a drop in

the water level of approximately 600 mm over the past 10-15 years The islands have either run aground on the bed or the lagoon or vegetation has attached them to the bed

Floating islands have attracted attention because they are uncommon and their behaviour has provided not only explanations for events in myth and legend but also great scope for discussion and speculation amongst scientific and other observers

Peat = a dark brown substance that is formed by plants dying and becoming buried

Adapted from ‘The Floating Islands of Pirron Yallock, Victoria’ by LA Peterson

Questions 15 — 19

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 15-19 on your answer sheet write

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN _ if there is no information on this

15 Natural floating islands occur mostly in lakes

16 Floating Islands occur after a heavy storm or landslide

17.‘ The details of the floating island at sea near Cuba and Haiti were one of many sea-going

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islands in that area

18 Floating islands at sea sink because the plants on them eventually die

Questions 20 — 23 Look at the following people (questions 20-23) and the list of statements below

Match each person to the correct statement

Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet

Questions 24 — 27 Complete the labels on Diagram B below

Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 24-27 on your answer sheet

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Diagram A: Before Pirron Yallock Island formation

highway drainage channel

Ocean Plant life in decline

disappearing at a dangerous rate This plant life called phytoplankton is a vital resource that helps absorb the worst of the ‘greenhouse gases’ involved in global warming Satellites and ships at sea have confirmed the diminishing productivity of the microscopic plants, which oceanographers say

is most striking in the waters of the North Pacific - ranging as far up as the high Arctic “Whether the lost productivity of the phytoplankton is directly due to increased ocean temperatures that have been recorded for at least the past 20 years remains part of an extremely complex puzzle”, says Watson W Gregg, a NASA biologist at the Goddard Space Flight Center in the USA, but it surely offers a fresh clue to the controversy over climate change According to Gregg, the

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greatest loss of phytoplankton has occurred where ocean temperatures have risen most significantly between the early 1980s and the late 1990s In the North Atlantic summertime, sea surface temperatures rose about 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit during that period, while in the North Pacific the ocean's surface temperatures rose about 07 of a degree

other factors can also affect the health of the plants They need iron as nourishment, for example, and much of it reaches them in powerful winds that sweep iron-containing dust across the oceans from continental deserts When those winds diminish or fail, plankton can suffer According to Gregg and his colleagues, there have been small but measurable decreases in the amount of iron deposited over the oceans in recent years

cycle Normally, the ocean plants take up about half of all the carbon dioxide in the world's environment because they use the carbon, along with sunlight, for growth, and release oxygen into the atmosphere in a process known as photosynthesis Primary production of plankton in the North Pacific has decreased by more than 9 percent during the past 20 years, and by nearly 7 percent in the North Atlantic, Gregg and his colleagues determined from their satellite

observations and shipboard surveys Studies combining all the major ocean basins of the world, has revealed the decline in plankton productivity to be more than 6 percent

the combustion of fossil fuels is eliminated Whether caused by currently rising global temperatures or not, the loss of natural plankton productivity in the oceans also means the loss of

an important factor in removing much of the principal greenhouse gas that has caused the world's climate to warm for the past century or more “Our combined research shows that ocean primary productivity is declining, and it may be the result of climate changes such as increased

temperatures and decreased iron deposits into parts of the oceans This has major implications for the global carbon cycle” said Gregg

flown by the Defense Department have observed dramatic new changes in the vast ice sheets along the west coast of Antarctica These changes, in turn, are having a major impact on phytoplankton there They report that a monster chunk of the Ross Ice Shelf - an iceberg almost

20 miles wide and 124 miles long - has broken off the west face of the shelf and is burying a vast ocean area of phytoplankton that is the base of the food web in an area exceptionally rich in plant

and animal marine life

loss of plankton is proving catastrophic to all the higher life forms that depend on the plant masses, say Stanford biological oceanographers Arrigo and van Diken Icebergs in Antarctica are designated by letters and numbers for aerial surveys across millions of square miles of the

southern ocean, and this berg is known as C-19 "We estimate from satellite observations that C-19 in the Ross Sea has covered 90 percent of all the phytoplankton there" said Arrigo

region An even larger one, dubbed B-15, broke off, or ‘calved’ in 2001 Although it also blotted out a large area of floating phytoplankton on the sea surface, it only wiped out about 40 percent

of the microscopic plants Approximately 25 percent of the world's populations of emperor penguins and 30 percent of the Adelie penguins nest in colonies in this area This amounts to hundreds of thousands of Adelie and emperor penguins all endangered by the huge iceberg, which

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has been stuck against the coast ever since it broke off from the Ross Ice Shelf last year Whales, seals and the millions of shrimp-like sea creatures called krill are also threatened by the loss of many square miles of phytoplankton

Adapted from “Decline in Oceans' Phytoplankton Alarms Scientists” by David Perlman

Questions 28 - 32 The passage has seven paragraphs labelled A-G

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-G in boxes 28-32 on your answer sheet

NB: You may use any letter more than once

28 the role of plankton in dealing with carbon dioxide from vehicles

29 the effect on land and marine creatures when icebergs break off

Questions 33 — 36 Complete the sentences below with words taken from Reading Passage 3

Use NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer

33, Much needed iron for plant life is transported to the ocean by

34 An increase in greenhouse gasses is due to a decrease in

35 Phytoplankton forms the of the food web

36 The technical term used when a piece of ice detached from the main block is

Questions 37 — 40 Complete the summary of paragraphs A-C below

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer

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A decline in the plant life located in the world’s oceans has been validated by 37 The most obvious decline in plant life has been in the North Pacific A rise in ocean temperatures in the early 1980s and late 1990s led to a decline in 38 In addition to higher ocean temperatures, deficiencies in 39 can also lead to a decline in plankton numbers This, in turn, impacts upon the world’s 40

End of Sample Test

Scott's English Success www.scottsenglish.com

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e The key words are "most fresh water, located"

e Scan the passage looking for those key words or synonyms of them

e Paragraph E states, "Of all the water in the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps."

e¢ Double check your answer by comparing the overall point of the paragraph with the question

e Read the information in the questions carefully and determine

the key words

e The key words are "Mexican women, obtain water"

e Paragraph B states, "In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck."

e¢ Double check your answer by comparing the overall point of the paragraph with the question

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e Read the information in the questions carefully and determine the key words

e The key words are "effect of waste, Mexican rivers"

e Paragraph A states, "Like many cities in the world, less than half of the city’s waste is treated The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into

e Read the information in the questions carefully and determine the key words

e The key words are "Mexico, financial commitment, water"

e Paragraph C states, "Under complex water agreements with the

United States, Mexico can take water from the Rio Grande but must

pay it back President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt "

e Double check your answer by comparing the overall point of the paragraph with the question

e locate the key word(s) in the question

e key words are illness and children - scan for them (or synonyms of them

e read in detail to " children are contracting digestive diseases due to

poor water storage."

e locate the key word(s) in the question

e key words are Mexicans, moving and water shortages — scan for them or synonyms of them

e read in detail to "A forced exodus from parched cities no one suggests it will happen next week "

e key words are drinking water, Canada, polluted, industry — scan for them or synonyms of them

e read in detail to " too many rivers have been contaminated by industrial activity"

Questions 9-13:

Remember your answers must come from the passage or you will be marked wrong!

You might be able to guess the missing words, but make sure you confirm your guess with a

word(s) from the passage

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9 population(s) | ¢ Identify the key words and summary sentences

e Inthe first sentence "main issue, cities, poor water” are the key words

e Scan the paragraphs for the key words or synonyms of those key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph

F, the passage states that "The huge problem (main issue) however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources (their water is poor) "

10 5.6 percent e Identify the key words and summary sentences

® In the first half of the second sentence "Canada, world’s fresh

water” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph F, the passage states that "Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the world’s population, has 5.6 percent of its usable fresh water supply."

11 sterilisation |e Identify the key words and summary sentences

e Inthe second half of the second sentence "dealt with water

pollution, process” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph G, the passage states that "In an attempt to solve this issue the main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water."

12 cancer(s) e Identify the key words and summary sentences

e Inthe third sentence "dangerous pollution, health experts, cause” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph G, the passage states that "Drinking such (treated/sterilised) water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers."

Passage 2, Lab 2: Answers.and Suggestions

° a6 a hab paragraphs tor đề KẾPWords or synonyms of those key

words:

Question Answer cott’s Tips for Answering the Questi

Number e Read the senses nse ons io the key Quest oth

paragraph F, the passage states, "As a tesult (of the town water

being sterilised), the bottled water business is booming "

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Questions 14-18: Remember the words must come from the passage or you will be marked

incorrect

You might be able to guess the missing words from the context, but make sure you confirm

your guess with a word(s) from the passage

Before you begin answering, read the summary through at least once

14 annual costs e Identify the key words in the summary sentences

e In the first sentence "training, down time, guest satisfaction” are the key words

e Scan the paragraphs A-D for the key words or synonyms of those key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph A, the passage states," annual cost large was based on money spent hiring and training replacements; the cost to the business in lower productivity due to (employees new jobs); and poor guest satisfaction levels."

15 turnover costs | e Identify the key words in the summary sentences

e In the second sentence "solution to problems, reduction in (something)” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph B, the passage states," The Chief Executive knew that in order to save his company (synonym: solve problems),

he had to reduce the high turnover costs."

16 plan e Identify the key words in the summary sentences

e In the third sentence "hotel, addressed issues, 4 ways,

through implementation of (something)” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph B, the passage states, "But the hotel boss decided

to tackle the issue head-on by implementing a 4 point plan."

17 guest e Identify the key words in the summary sentences

satisfaction

e Inthe fourth sentence "chief executive, decreased down

time, reduced employee turnover, resulted in improvements”

are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraph C, the passage states,"The annual employee turnover was reduced by 78 percent and this impacted upon down time due to training and guest satisfaction."

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18 savings e Identify the key words in the summary sentences

e In the last sentence "not common, big companies experience (something), difficulty determining why” are the key words

e Read the sentence(s) which relate to the key words In paragraphs C & D, it is stated that, "The result was a $10 million savings for the company Because most do not know the root causes of employee turnover and costs have often not been accurately estimated, causes are usually not known "

19

NG

There is nothing in the passage about this!

e there is no mention of how people responded to the results

20 e locate key words in the question and scan for them

e key words are high costs and length of training

e read in detail to find out about these terms

e locate the words, "Positions that involved a substantial

amount of time in training attracted the highest costing "

21 locate key words in the question and scan for them

key words are new employees and incorrect description

read in detail to find out about these terms

locate the words, " candidates (new employees) were being over-sold (incorrect description) the job "

Questions 22-26:

Note: for questions 1-7, I start FIRST with the key words in the box and SECOND go

looking for them in the passage

These types of questions can take extra time so allow for this in the test!

e Notice paragraph G states, " new staff were made aware

of the mission and goals of the organisation " and "New staff were shown where the hotel was heading " This directly relates future plans for the new staff

¢ once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in depth to confirm your choice

e determine the key word(s) from the statements written in the box

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expectations"

e scan quickly to see if from the question in the read in depth to confirm|

e in this question the key words are "clearly d

you can find any of th:

reading passage

e Notice paragraph H states, " when staff are

they are clearly told what is expected in the jot

e Once you are quite sure you have the right 1

your choice

e in this question the key words are "own staff recruiting"

e scan quickly to see if you can find any of the key words from the question in the reading passage

¢ Notice paragraph G states, "As far a recruiting was concermed, they changed their approach by getting personnel from the hotel to handle it."

¢ once you are quite sure you have the right paragraph, read in depth to confirm your choice

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Question Number Answer Scott’s Tips for Answering the Question

e Search for these key words and/or synonyms

e Locate " the reasons for both being involved in the workforce revolve around the need to add to the family’s current financial base."

28 e Remember that multiple choice questions follow the order of the

passage

e Locate the key word, "spillover"

e Find in paragraph B that spillover refers to how " attitudes toward work are carried over into family life."

29 e Remember that multiple choice questions follow the order of the

passage

e Locate the key word, "Winthrope"

e Find in paragraph F that Winthrope said, "Even though a woman may enter the workforce the care of her husband and children and living quarters (home) is cher) domain"

31 e Scan for the key words, "segmentation theory" - once located, read

in detail for the meaning

e Regarding segmentation theory paragraph F states, "Segmentation theory proposes that work and family are actually two entirely separate domains "

32 e Scan for the key words, "self-determination theory" - once located,

read in detail for the meaning

e Regarding self-determination theory paragraph E states, "Studies built on the theory of self-determination point out that if people have a high level of self-determination, they decide which activities to devote themselves to and will thus participate in a positive way, making it difficult for family alienation to occur."

e Regarding compensation theory paragraph C states,

"Compensation theory .assumes that the relationship between work and family is negative by pointing out that high involvement in one

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34 e Scan for the key words, "developmental theory" - once located, read

e Regarding developmental theory paragraph D states, "the relationship between work and family is constantly changing over a person’s life The developmental approach therefore explore(s) the dynamics of the relationship between individual, family, and career developments in the life-span of a worker "

35 locate key words in the question and scan for them

key words are lack of money, father, mother, enter workforce

once located, read in detail to determine if it is a “main reason’

locate the words, " the reasons for both (father and mother) being involved in the workforce revolve around the need to add to the family’s current financial base"

36 e locate the key words in the question and scan for them

e key words are conflict, increases, size, family

e once located, read in detail to find, " drain on family time is

significantly related to work-family conflict with an escalation in conflict as the number of family members increase

37 NG e There is nothing in the passage about this!

e key words are men, handle better, stresses, women

e once located, read in detail to find, " Despite this, there has been

no positive link shown that one sex experiences greater difficulty in managing work-family conflicts over another

e key words are irregular work hours, main reason, family conflict

e Locate the words, "Perhaps the most positive relation that could be established between work and conflict was in regard to irregular work hours."

e You should have taken notice as you read of the key ideas (by circling key words and making notes in the margin of key ideas)

e All the ideas presented relate to work, family, conflict and job satisfaction

e The only answer which includes all these elements is ‘D’

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www.scottsenglish.com

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http://www.scottsenglish.com/

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Seawater has polluted 17 others because of too much pumping, while toxic seepage is spreading fast According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Mexican children are contracting digestive diseases due to poor water storage Mexico City, built eight centuries ago atop vast lagoons, cannot adequately supply water for its 22 million inhabitants Like many cities in the

world, less than half of the city’s waste is treated The rest sinks into underground lakes or flows toward the

Gulf of Mexico, turning rivers into sewers This presents an extremely difficult prospect for Mexico’s future

The Mexican National Water Commission lists some 35 cities that must shrink dramatically unless more water

can be found A forced exodus from parched cities seems far-fetched, and no one suggests it will happen next

week but it is a spectre haunting Mexico’s future

Arizona, New Mexico and Texas One forecast is that Corpus Christi, Texas (population: 277, 454), will run

out of water around 2018 In the meantime the problem is getting worse Deputy director of the Mexican

National Water Commission Cantu Suarez reports, “In Oaxaca, south of Mexico City, women line up at dawn

to fill a few plastic containers from a passing water truck In Alamos, far to the north, ancient aquifers are

pumped at five times the sustainable rate.”

dying, with fields poisoned by salt and village wells running dry And there are legal battles looming The

Colorado River, drained by 10 U.S states with their own water crises, is a muddy trickle by the time it reaches

the rich farmland of Baja California Under complex water agreements with the United States, Mexico can

take water from the Rio Grande but must pay it back President Vicante Fox has promised to pay the debt,

which amounts to enough to put the state of Delaware under a flood of water But with Mexico already so

short of water, it is not realistic to think it can happen

inexhaustible water supply In comparison to Africa and other dry places, most of Canada’s waters are

pristine But the cumulative effect of mistreatment over the years has taken an evident toll The cities of

Victoria on the west coast and Halifax on the east still dump billions of litres of raw sewage into their oceans

The world’s biggest freshwater basin, the Great Lakes, are described as a chemical soup not fit to drink from

or swim in Some concerned experts view them as loaded with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides and

sewage Far too many rivers and streams in Canada have been badly contaminated by industrial activity

of the human body is water, weight loss in some quick diets is dramatic due to water loss Of all the water in

the world, only about 2.5 percent is fresh and two thirds of this is locked up in glaciers and ice caps Nobody

knows how much water is underground or in permafrost” All life on earth is sustained by a fraction of one

percent of the world’s water Ifa five-litre jug (about 1 ? gallons) represented the world’s water, the available

fresh water would not quite fill a teaspoon

Trang 32

however, is the rapidly increasing populations in places that lack adequate water resources, as well as

mismanagement of available resources Canada, with only 0.5 percent of the world’s population, has 5.6

percent of its usable fresh water supply China, with 22 percent of the population on earth, has only 5.7

percent of usable fresh water We cannot just move fresh water to where it is most needed — like In the Sahara,

Ethiopia, Somalia or India

levels of potentially dangerous THMs (trihalomethanes) in water supplies In an attempt to solve this issue the

main solution put forward by scientists is sterilisation of the water However, this approach can also be the

cause of problems Drinking such water over a long period can cause bladder and colon cancers, but health

experts maintain the benefits far outweigh these risks As a result, the bottled water business is booming In

just one decade, sales have surged from $2.6 billion to $7.7 billion in the United States of America alone This

represents a 10 percent growth rate for the past 10 years But is it safe? Canadian standards for testing bottled

water are lower than those for municipal supplies, so there are no assurances that bottled water is any better

than tap water

H At the start of the 20th century, there were 1.65 billion people; 100 years later there are more than 6

billion, and the United Nations estimates there will be nearly 9 billion by 2050 But the annual supply of

renewable fresh water will remain the same, so the amount of water available to each person decreases and the

population grows, raising the possibility of water shortages The supply of water to the future is a major issue

that will confront tomorrow’s leaders

1 underground bed yielding ground water for wells and springs

2 ground that is permanently frozen

Questions I — 4

Reading Passage 1 has eight paragraphs A-H

Which paragraph contains the following information?

NB You may use any letter more than once

1 where most fresh water is located in the world

4 Mexico’s financial commitment for its water

Questions 5 — 8

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 2?

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YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN _ if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Questions 9 — 13

Complete the summary of paragraphs F-H below

Chose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer

Write your answer in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet

The main issue that confronts cities with poor water supplies is their growing 9 Canada, which contains

10 of the world’s fresh water, has dealt with water pollution in some cities through a process of 11

Although treated for dangerous pollution, some health experts believe city water to be a cause of 12

Not all people are content to drink town water and this has added to a demand for 13

READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading passage 2

How to Reduce Employee Turnover

employee turnover of about 60 percent, at an annual cost estimated between $10 to $15 million This large

amount of money was calculated based on three factors: the money spent hiring and training replacements; the

cost to the business in lower productivity due to employees becoming familiar with the requirements of their

new job; and reduced occupancy rates, due to poor guest satisfaction levels

costs Making up for the lost income due to turnover is not an easy task and many companies have not

declared war on unwanted employee turnover because they have not taken the time to work out the costs of

lost revenues and productivity But the hotel boss decided to tackle the issue head-on by implementing a 4

point plan The hotel first took the time to calculate their turnover costs; secondly to evaluate the main causes

for the staff turnover and; thirdly to discuss some of the solutions to the problems and lastly to prioritise

actions and evaluate future returns following implemented changes

78 percent and this impacted upon down time due to training and guest satisfaction The result was a $10

Trang 34

million savings for the company

accurately estimated, causes are usually not known As a result, solutions are commonly not targeted at a

company’s individual, specific causes The following is an examination of what the Chief Executive did to turn

the hotel around

highest rates of turnover and those whose turnover had the greatest potential effect on profit After some

investigation it was shown that some of the positions with the highest turnover rates such as cleaners and

gardeners did not carry with them high associated costs In fact, what was revealed was that only 6 percent of

employees accounted for 43 percent of the turnover Positions that involved a substantial amount of time in

training were the ones that attracted the highest costing Analysis revealed that those positions within the hotel

which had the greatest impact on profit were people like the front office receptionists and those working in

accounts

is not necessarily a good solution to high employee turnover - often they leave because they simply dislike the

work Therefore, it was important to tackle the analysis from the perspective of what were the chief causes for

staff leaving A holistic approach was undertaken and several key findings emerged The hotel found that

fundamentally they adopted poor recruiting and selection practices For example, it was shown that almost 35

percent of the cleaning staff left after the first week and a further 25 during the first month Candidates were

being over-sold the job by recruiters and left soon after they encountered unrealistic job expectations

G Devising solutions to these issues was the other half of the equation As far a recruiting was

concerned, they changed their approach by getting personnel from the hotel to handle it Once this change was

made, the attrition rates decreased substantially To add to employee motivation, new staff were made aware

of the mission and goals of the organisation and how they would be paid above industry standard for striving

to attain to hotel values New staff were shown where the hotel was heading and how they would have a

guaranteed, stable employment situation with a major force in the hotel industry — it was even suggested that

after a period of employment, new staff might be given the opportunity to contribute to organisational goal

setting They had been losing many of their employees during the first month or two of employment, so they

made new staff aware that bonuses would be offered to newly-hired employees at the end of their first three

months which greatly assisted in goal setting Staff luncheons and the in-house volleyball and basketball

competitions remained an effective part of staff unity and development and a support program was also

introduced to help all staff with any job-related issues which gave employees a heightened sense of being cared

for by the establishment

Program (VEP) When a person was employed in the past they were assigned a senior member of staff who

assisted them with getting used to their new job Due to the limitations of the senior member’s position

however, they were often not in a position to explain any details regarding future advancement Now, when

staff are employed, they are clearly told what is expected in the job and where it might lead for the right

candidate Hotel surveys revealed that over 30 percent of employees were not satisfied with the career

opportunities in their current jobs so the articulation of the definite and realistic opportunity for advancement

through the VEP led to a major decrease in employee attrition

calculated, setting priorities became a formality Although at first a daunting task, the enormous cost of

employee turnover offered an excellent opportunity for the hotel to improve profitability

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Questions 14-18

Complete the summary below of paragraphs A-D of Reading Passage 2

Choose ONE or TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer

Training new employees; down time as new employees get used to their new job; and unfavourable guest

satisfaction levels all led to a large 14 for a large hotel It was determined that the solution to these

problems, was in the reduction of the company’s 15 The hotel addressed these issues in 4 ways

through the implementation of a 16 The efforts of the hotel chief executive decreased down time and

reduced employee turnover which, in turn resulted in improvements in 17 The company position was

improved by $10 million It is not common for big companies to experience such 18 because most have

difficulty in determining the why these things happen

Questions 19 - 21

Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 2?

YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN _ if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

19 It was surprising that positions with the highest turnover were not connected to high costs

Questions 22 - 26

Reading Passage 2 gives FIVE effective changes that the hotel introduced for staff

Choose these changes from the list A-K below

Write the appropriate letters A-K in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet

CHANGES

Trang 36

clearly defined job expectations did their own staff recruiting built new sporting facilities involved new staff in goal setting

fn

offered bonuses to proven, committed new staff

READING PASSAGE 3

family structure Traditionally, it has been the man’s role to be the breadwinner for the |_ PHỂ¬- đấm x mì |

family - providing the funds to pay for food and shelter However, due to the many ir

new and unique responsibilities placed upon families, in numerous cases both men and women — fathers and

mothers - have had to enter the workforce Generally, the reasons for both being involved in the workforce

revolve around the need to add to the family’s current financial base To a lesser extent, the need to interact

with ‘adults’ in a stimulating work environment is another popular reason Whatever their reasons, for many

families, the decision for father and mother to go out of the home and join the labour force has led to a number

of side effects within the home which, in turn, impact upon their performance as employees

can be positive or negative Positive spillover refers to the spread of satisfaction and positive stimulation at

work resulting in high levels of energy and satisfaction at home If the amount of research is to be taken as an

indication, it would seem that positive spillover is not a dominant occurrence in the workplace with most

research focussing on the effects of negative spillover Often pointing out the incompatible nature of work and

family life, the research focuses on problems and conflict at work which has the effect of draining and

preoccupying the individual, making it difficult for him or her to participate fully in family life

Compensation theory is one which has been widely used It assumes that the relationship between work and

family is negative by pointing out that high involvement in one sphere — invariably the work sphere - leads to

low involvement in the other As an individual advances within a career, demands typically fluctuate from

moderate to more demanding and if the advancing worker has younger children, this shift in work

responsibilities will usually manifest itself in the form of less time spent with the family Researchers

subscribing to this theory point out that the drain on family time is significantly related to work-family conflict

with an escalation in conflict as the number of family members increase

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D The human state is one of change In exploring the work-family dynamic it can be clearly seen that as

the pattern of adult development for men and women differs and as family and career demands fluctuate,

individuals may link work and family roles differently at different stages of their life Hence, the relationship

between work and family is constantly changing over a person’s life The developmental approach therefore

adopts a psychological-developmental framework to explore the dynamics of the relationship between

individual, family, and career developments in the life-span of a worker

and the workplace Within the family, the feeling of being valued by one's partner directly affects a person’s

self-determination, while at the same time within the workplace, the feeling of being autonomy-supported by

one's employer was shown to have an affect on one’s self-determined motivation towards work related

activities Studies built on the theory of self-determination point out that if people have a high level of

self-determination, they decide which activities to devote themselves to and thus participate in a positive way,

making it difficult for family alienation to occur

individuals are able to maintain a clear demarcation between the two Theorists subscribing to this view

maintain that emotions, attitudes and behaviours enlisted in the two different environments are separate and

will not have any impact upon work or family While this theory is certainly applicable for some, apparently

not all men and women are able to neatly divide the two experiences Winthrope points out that, “Even though

a woman may enter the workforce, research has shown that within the context of the family, the care of her

husband and children as well as the living quarters is still heavily the woman’s domain.” This kind of idea is

tied up in the old adage; a woman’s place is in the home She is seen as the one who takes care of all domestic

duties whereas, stereotypically, it is the man who brings home the food for the family The degree to which

this is felt is certainly based upon societal expectations and behavioural norms Despite this, there has been no

positive link shown that one sex experiences greater difficulty in managing work-family conflicts over another

to irregular work hours Factors such as having to work on weekends, having to work longer than nine hours

per day or having to work during vacation periods all added to the conflict dynamic Additionally, rank or

position and thus expectations of workers and time demands all showed a negative impact upon family and

work relations Many have conducted empirical research in relation to work-family conflict and job satisfaction

with significantly varying results However, one generally recognised outcome about which few researchers

disagree is that when work-family conflict arises, job satisfaction decreases

Questions 27 — 30

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D

B they want to be able to retire comfortably

D _ they need the mature interaction that goes on between adults

28 = ‘Spillover’ is

B a term researchers use to describe work life

Trang 38

29

30

C

D

a dominant area of scientific research

a term which relates to how work life affects family life

The significance of Winthrope’s comment is that working women

A

B

C

D

should not do the work of men

are heavily relied upon to do household duties

should not work outside of the home

leave household work for their husbands to do

Regarding work and family the writer concludes that

VAD

S work itself plays an important role in job satisfaction

more empirically-based theories are yet to be offered by researchers

family relationships have a significant affect upon job satisfaction

work and family are best kept separate from each other

Questions 31-34

Look at the following list of theories (Questions 31-34) and the list of definitions below

Match each theory with the correct definition

00ND

> work and family are totally unrelated

the relationship between work and family is always varying high work involvement results in family neglect

Questions 35 — 39

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

Trang 39

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN _ if there is no information on this

Lack of money is the main reason both fathers and mothers enter the workforce

Conflict between work and family increases according to the size of the family

High income earners balance work and family life better than low income earners

Men handle work stresses better than women

Work-family conflict is due largely to constant changes in work hours

Question 40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D

Write your answer in box 40 on your answer sheet

What is the best title for Reading Passage 3?

Family relationships and job promotion

The psychological effects of work

Theories on family and work

Work-family conflict and job satisfaction

Scott's English Success www.scottsenglish.com

Trang 40

AT 3

nglish

Success

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Number Answer Scott’s Tips for Answering the Question

e once located, read in detail was is written in connection with Kovacs

e locate the words, “ sun treatment is often helpful to persons suffering from general debility — repeated colds, respiratory diseases,

influenza and the like”

e once located, read in detail was is written in connection with Rollier

e Locate the words, “August Rollier opened his first high-Alps sanatorium in 1903”

3 Cc e scan for the name Coblentz

e once located, read in detail was is written in connection with Coblentz

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